Case Study - Building Australia's Digital Shipyard

Australia's naval shipbuilding programs require new approaches to productivity, workforce capability and technology adoption. While advanced technologies such as robotics, automation and augmented reality offer significant opportunities, manufacturers must understand how these technologies can be integrated into complex industrial environments and adopted by the workforce. 

Factory of the Future partnered with BAE Systems Maritime Australia to explore how emerging Industry 4.0 technologies could support the development of a digitally enabled shipbuilding workforce.

The collaboration brought together researchers, engineers and industry specialists to evaluate technologies including collaborative robotics, augmented reality head-mounted displays and digital manufacturing systems in realistic shipbuilding scenarios.

A key focus was the Human Factors of Integrated Technologies (AR & Robots) project, which investigated how workers interact with advanced technologies during manufacturing, inspection and quality assurance activities. Trials examined how augmented reality could provide real-time information to workers, support training and enhance decision-making while improving workflow efficiency and workforce engagement. 

The partnership also informed broader research captured through the From Ship to Shore and Quicker Off the Blocks projects, which examined how human factors, workforce capability and organisational readiness influence the successful adoption of digital technologies across shipbuilding and manufacturing environments.

The projects generated practical insights into how advanced technologies can be successfully integrated into complex manufacturing environments.

The work demonstrated the importance of balancing technological innovation with workforce acceptance, training and organisational readiness. It also highlighted opportunities for augmented reality, robotics and digital systems to support productivity, quality outcomes and workforce capability development.

Today, the projects continue to showcase Factory of the Future's capability to help defence manufacturers evaluate, test and adopt emerging technologies in preparation for future industrial challenges.

Projects:

• Forming a view: A human factors case study of augmented reality and robotics collaboration in assembly in shipbuilding
  
• The Digital Shipyard: Opportunities and Challenges
• Quicker off the Blocks: The Role of Human Factors and Ergonomics in the Uptake and Diffusion of Advanced Technologies in Shipbuilding
• Setting it Straight: Human Factors, Technology and Pipe Alignment in Shipbuilding
• From Ship to Shore: Reducing the Barriers to Collaborative Robot Uptake in Shipbuilding and Manufacturing Through Human Factors
• Visual Inspection with Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display: An Australian Usability Case Study

Partners:

BAE Systems Maritime Australia, Flinders University, Factory of the Future (formerly Australian Industrial Transformation Institute), ASC Shipbuilding.

Funding:

Forming a view: a human factors case study of augmented reality collaboration in assembly, Ergonomics. 
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2024.2352733. 
This work was funded by the Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources (Innovative Manufacturing CRC) in collaboration with BAE Systems Maritime Australia.

Quicker off the Blocks: This report is based on work funded by the Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources (Innovative Manufacturing CRC) in collaboration with BAE Systems and ASC Shipbuilding.

Setting it Straight: This report is based on work funded by the Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources (Innovative Manufacturing CRC) in collaboration with BAE Systems Maritime Australia.

From Ship to Shore: This report is based on work funded by the Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources (Innovative Manufacturing CRC) in collaboration with BAE Systems Maritime Australia.

Visual Inspection with Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display: This study is one part of a broader project funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Science Energy and Resources (Innovative Manufacturing CRC) in collaboration with BAE Systems Maritime Australia.